Word lists for such operations as spell checking, text replacement, and predicting intended user input, typically referred to as predictive text, are known. These word lists are often used in conjunction with such computer programs as word processing applications, email applications, spreadsheet applications, and other computer programs that require the input of text.
Although spell checking and text replacement are useful in many different types of device, predictive text methods are particularly helpful for devices with limited keyboards, in which text inputs may be ambiguous because each key represents a plurality of characters. For example, a user of a mobile phone having an ITU E 1.161 Standard Key Pad typically uses a multi-tap method to achieve proper character inputs. On this keypad, the “2” key represents the letters A, B, and C. During text entry according to a multi-tap method, the user presses the “2” key once to obtain an input of “A”, twice to enter a “B”, and three times to enter a “C”. These types of multi-tap methods can be utilized for so-called reduced QWERTY keyboards, in which the general QWERTY keyboard layout is maintained, but with fewer keys than a standard QWERTY keyboard. Predictive text methods have been applied in conjunction with such keypads and keyboards to reduce the reliance on multi-tap methods.
However, known word lists for these text operations are generated from standard language data, including word and frequency information, that does not reflect the actual text usage patterns of many users. Acronyms, names, technical terms, and the like, do not often appear in such word lists, which are therefore of limited value to some users.